Intentional Living

This year has flown by. I cannot believe that it is December, and that Thanksgiving has already come and gone.

 

This year has been one of the busiest of my life. I was promoted, and given quite a bit more to do at work. We have been making more and more social commitments, and have had a lot of family obligations. Everything has been fun, but its made my days long, and I found that I am often booked from the moment I wake up at 4:20 to when I crash into bed at 9:30....lately, its actually been around 8:30.

 

It seems that these days, every moment is planned down the the minute. Often, when I am at work, I am doing one task, while mentally working on something else. Or, I am in the kitchen cooking 3 things, folding the laundry, and cleaning all at the same time. I also find that when P and I are talking, I rarely just sit and talk. I am always talking and doing something else. When I get ready in the morning, I am drying my hair, brushing my teeth, stretching, and attempting to read all at the same time.

 

Yesterday flew by, and I honestly can hardly remember it. I do know that I worked out, cleaned, and watched football, but other than that, the details are a bit fuzzy.

 

From now, until the end of the year, I really need to make a concerted effort to be more present, to be in the moment right now, not the next moment. I need to stop trying to pencil in down time to watch t.v., or just hang out. Because, I know I can't keep going at this speed, I will eventually burn out. I also know that I need to let go of things. Our house does not need to be spotless all the time. The laundry does not all have to be folded and put away right away. If the bed doesn't get made, who is going to get hurt? If I miss a work out, its not the end of the world. If I don't get to shop and miss out on redeeming some coupons, its not worth stressing out.

This is also a time of year that we all start spending a lot of money. I know how easily it is to swipe the debit card multiple times, all of which are unplanned, and those can be major budget busters. 

 

Every day, I have multiple to do lists, and they are never all completed. I need to relax more, focus on people rather than lists, and enjoy the season. I don't need to give THE PERFECT GIFT to everyone in my life. And I sure as heck don't need to GET THE PERFECT GIFT from family and friends, because I know their feelings towards do not correlate directly to how much money they spent on me. 

 

I will be more present, I will take time to look at the sky, I will take time out to relax, have fun, and live intentionally.